


Searching for Something to Live For

by Cloud Feature (kloud)



Series: Mine to Live For [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Based on specifically the first FNAF, F/M, Horror, M/M, Robots, Romance I guess, Violence, heartbreak?, it doesn't follow the game exactly, it really isn't that scary, poverty kinda, there probably will end up being romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-02-28 04:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2718740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kloud/pseuds/Cloud%20Feature
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For his entire life, Adriel has lived to take care of others. He lives in the post-robot-war era, where poverty hits hard on the country. Adriel lives in a house with his best friend and ex girlfriend. Trained as a guard, Adriel takes the first job he can in order to help pay rent: night watch at an old, shutdown pizzeria. His initial thoughts of the place is instantly changed when he finds out the danger of the job, but forces stop him from quitting his job. The story follows Adriel's struggle with his life as he tries to find the meaning of it, while trying to survive life as a night guard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning of the End

Screams of agony surrounded him. One of the first things he should probably ask is “ _How did I get here?_ “Here,” of course, is figurative. What he means is how he got in this moment, with impossibly strong arms shoving him into a metal contraption. The rods within began to bite into his skin. The pain was indescribable; he realized after a moment that _he_  was the one who was screaming. These were the last moments of his life. Outside of the pain, he began to think about all the things he _hadn’t_  accomplished in life. He was single, mid-twenties, and still a virgin. By absolute choice, of course.

Call him a hopeless romantic, it wouldn’t be a lie. There were few girls he fell for and only one who he let steal all of his heart and hold it greedily in the palm of her hands. He had never fallen so hard for someone than when he did for her. He fell for her sweet smiles, caring heart, and dark eyes. They never went further than kissing, and he treated her with the utter most care, knowing that someday, when he could pay for the license, he was going to marry her. Life never really worked how he wanted it to. It’s not as if he could force her to love him in return, and he wouldn't try to make her. He understood when he walked in on her with his best friend doing things that he had never done with anyone. When his heart cracked and crumbled, Adriel smiled at them. It was what they wanted, and he gave it to them. He even was the best man at his friend’s wedding. It didn’t mean that it hadn’t _hurt_.

Like right then. He jerked back, trying to throw off his attacker to no avail. They were strong, a lot stronger than him. His own salty tears bit into the cuts on his skin and he screeched through clenched teeth.

The worst part about this situation wasn’t that he was dying, but that he was dying without saving  _them_. He had lost anything else that he might live for, but if he were to trade his life to accomplish one thing, if he could have done it, he would have saved them.

So, here comes the question, how did he get here? It started with a part time job. From midnight to six in the morning, he would “guard” an old pizzeria. Personally, he had worse guarding times, or so he thought. There was one time where he had to stand outside for ten hours in the midst of winter, guarding the entrance of a store for two dollars an hour. Another time where he had to work in a corn maze, and a couple of kids disappeared. He spent thirty two hours looking for them. They were never found.

Sitting in a room and checking some monitors didn’t seem that bad at all. The uniform was a bit big on him, making his small form seem that much smaller, but he assumed that the uniform would be the worst of it. Five nights previous, he sat for the first time in a small office with a fan blowing on him. The old place smelled musty and of other unidentifiable things. Some of the smell was old pizza that seemed to stain the carpets and the walls. The room he sat in was relatively small. If he held his hands out, he could press the sides of the wall. Each side of the wall had two switch pads with two buttons on it. The chair he sat it was relatively comfy, but obviously old. Even the technology on it was old. He pulled a screen that was connected to the chair in front of him. On the screen mapped out different camera monitors and their position in different rooms. The first room, which was furthest from him, showed three robots of sorts. In the dark grain of the video, the creepy factor of them was accentuated. His heart thrummed lightly in his chest. They couldn't be  _real_ robots, right? Robots were outlawed...

The sound of a phone ringing made him jerk in fright. “Cheese its, Adriel, get a hold of yourself..” He muttered to himself with a sigh. A recording of a male voice shifted into the room, “Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?”

 _Okay_ , Adriel thought sarcastically, returning to the video map on the screen. He realized that at the bottom left of the screen it showed power use and how much percent he had left: 98%.

The guy continued, “Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, ‘Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced.’”

“Wait, _what?_ ” Adriel sat up, a frown falling upon his face. _Death?_ Sure, it's not as if he's been warned about death before, but just a pizzeria? He was just making sure no kids came in to mess with the animatronics, right? Maybe they were just extremely cautious. As the man went on Adriel felt his chest beginning to get tight with foreboding.

“Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, I know, but there's really nothing to worry about. Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for so many years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too. So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay.

“So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh...Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"

 _Eighty-seven?_ Adriel thought, his brow folding. How long ago was that? He swallowed thickly, making a mental note to check the background of this place when he got home.

“Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death. Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they pop out the front of the mask, heh.

“Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up. But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night.”

Adriel heard a noise as the recording clicked off. He quickly brought up the feed and saw that all three animatronic characters were still in place. His heart twitched in his chest and he swallowed. This had to be joke, right? He checked all the rooms, making sure that everything was how it was supposed to be. With a sigh, he pushed the screen aside and held his head in his hands. This guy sounded pretty serious, but animatronic characters on “free roam?” Wasn't animatronic characters another way to say "robots"? 

It wasn’t as if robots were unheard of. About twenty or twenty-five years ago, they were the height of society. Every single household, even the poorest, had at least one robot. At first the robots were just like walking phones, and quite useful. They took all the jobs people didn’t want to have. But then as the robots advanced, the goal was to make them more human-like. A whole new line of robots came out—the Androids.

They looked like people. The developers worked hard on the Androids to give them the ability to touch, feel, and think. The idea was that the robots would be the expert worker, baby-sitter, or anything else that anyone wanted them to be. Each robot was manufactured with the top medicine, which made them a walking hospital. If the developers could make the robots understand human feelings, then they could successfully live among humans and even fight for them. At first, when the robots came out, they all had different personalities. The robots began to experience life, to think and feel, or so the Androids said. The developers called it a virus in the Androids, and they called it SOUL. It was first seen as a great achievement for mankind. Then, the Androids began to believe humans were not needed anymore.

When people talk about the robot war, the first thoughts that come to mind is a video of a group of Androids standing at a podium, addressing the humans and telling them that they were inferior. 

That put a stop to all of it. Humans began to fear the Androids, and Androids began to attack them. The worst of it was yet to come: no robot could be made without the SOUL virus finding a way into it. Every single robotic device began to think and feel. Mankind’s technology reached a pitiful drop when every single robotic device was destroyed. At least most of them. There are rumors that some robots ran away and out of the country, hiding until the day they can raise their army again. 

But then again, there are rumors that some Androids are living among the people, and others that Androids were captured for the advancement of technology, to be studied and probed.

Adriel pulled up the screen again as he thought of robots. He learned all of this in school. He was the last generation to have grown up with a robot in his home, but he couldn't remember any of it. He couldn't even remember his own mother, who disappeared when he was six. His finger tapped the screen to switch to the room that had the animatronic characters. He jerked in surprise when he saw two were missing. He had been spacing out too long. Slowly, his muscles began to tingle as he switched camera screens, trying to find them. One of the characters, what looked like a duck, was in the kitchen. But where was the other…?

The sound of metal clicking hit Adriel’s ear. His head snapped up to meet the lifeless stare of the bunny, just outside the office. With a shout of alarm, Adriel slammed a red button on the wall, and a large red door slammed down.

With a shaky breath, Adriel reached over and closed the other door, fear twisting inside of him. His bones trembled with fear. 

 _It’s real._  Adriel realized. Freddy Fazbear Pizza had housed robots—and now they wanted revenge. He pushed himself out of his fear and checked the security feed. The power usage was high.“Why does it use power to keep doors down!?” Adriel screeched in anger. He sighed and saw that the duck was now in the main eating area, and the bunny was back in the supplies closet. With a shaky sigh, he opened the doors.

Six hours?

He was going to die.

It didn’t take long for Adriel to get accustomed to the system. Check the hallways, keep an ear open, quickly check through the cameras. Not before long, it was past five, and he was exhausted. And running low on power. His fear wouldn’t allow him to keep the doors open, even if the characters were all the way down the hallway, and it was costing him. “Come on, Adriel, come…” He swallowed thickly, sweat sticking to his back. Shakily, he opened the door to the right of him, only to see the duck’s face. A cry of fear left him and he quickly slammed the door shut again.

“Freaking frick!” He slammed his feet on the ground. Breathing heavily, he turned on the light to the left of him to see the rabbit’s reflection. “Go _away!_ ” Adriel screeched. Just then, the lights cut off and the sound of the entire system shutting down filled the air. The doors lifted up, leaving him exposed. His breath began to shake and he pushed the monitor away from him. Slowly, he moved behind his chair, clutching the back of it. Maybe, maybe if they came in, he could shove the chair at one of them? Maybe they wouldn't see him... maybe...

He sat in silence, too afraid to move. He tried to keep his breath quiet, but fear filled his bones and cut off his ability to breathe properly. The sound of metal creaking footsteps came towards the door, and then eyes lit up in the darkness with childish music playing. Robotic, cold eyes stared down at Adriel and his stomach painfully twisted in response. He heard the twisting sound of gears, and the lights turned off, leaving Adriel in complete darkness.

“What is your name?”

The words were twisted, caught, as if they were grinding against metal.

Adriel was too afraid to reply. If he did, would that terminate him? For a long while, he stayed crouched in the darkness, trying to stay quiet. His muscles started to cramp. Suddenly, his watch went off, signifying the end of his watch. In mangled fear, he moved to try and turn off the sound, except, as he did, the lights turned back on.

No characters were at the door.

“Adriel?” A head poked into the room. The familiar face came from the man who hiered him. Relief filled the man’s face, “You’re-“ He cut himself off. “Your shift is over.”

“I quit,” Adriel strangled out, slowly standing. “Th-They’re walking around, w-we got to get out!”

A sigh left the man and he shook his head. “Adriel, come here.” He reached over and grabbed Adriel’s arm. Surprisingly, he was a lot stronger than what Adriel took him for. “There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.” He dragged Adriel down the hallway, not that he was fighting too much. His eyes were wide as he looked around him, expecting the animatronic characters to grab them. Finally, they reached the stage room. With shocked eyes, Adriel saw all three of the animatronics on the stage. “They are programmed to return to this spot at five fifty nine and roaming is turned off.”

“B-But why do they roam around? A-And why do I have limited power?!” Adriel growled, his eyes narrowing as the man pulled him closer. “H-Hey—stop! Stop-“ Adriel was pulled up onto the stage in front of the animatronic characters. He stared the teddy bear in the eyes—Freddy himself.

“See?” The man had a smirk as he rested his arm on Adriel’s shoulder. “Perfectly fine. And you have limited power because power costs money, and we only have so much. In fact, I only turned on the lights to fetch you. I won’t tomorrow. Because you _will_ come here tomorrow, right, Adriel?” The man didn’t even glance at him as he stared at the machines, a taunting look filling his face. “After all, these machines used to entertain children. You should feel right at home.”

Anger filled Adriel’s throat. Sure, he might be a bit short, and not the strongest person around, but that didn’t mean he was a child, did it? For his entire life, he was teased about his height and his younger looks. He stepped towards Freddy and stared into his eyes, fighting to disprove what the manager just said. His bones trembled. It almost felt as if they were looking at him expectedly. “I’ll be here tomorrow," Adriel strangled out.

“Hopefully you won’t be hiding behind a chair again,” the man smirked at Adriel before stepping away. He walked away from him, heading out of the old building.

Adriel turned to watch him and then looked back at the animatronics more curiously. These things could stuff him into a suit, but now they looked… harmless? Granted, they were still frightening, but underneath that, he could almost sense something more than that. After a few moments of silence, Adriel spoke tightly, “Adriel Overton. What’s yours?”

With that, he turned on his heel and quickly leaped off the stage, trying to control his breath. He rushed out of the building, his heart hammering. Why was he stupid enough to do this again?

Why would he even do it again?

They needed the money. A hundred and twenty bucks... that was a lot. Plus, he  _wasn't_ a child.

 

* * *

 

 

“Adriel,” a female voice jerked Adriel out of his thoughtful stare. His eyes flickered up to a small brown-haired woman with a small tilt to her eyes. He smiled lightly at her in response, after years of faking it was automatic now. “How was your first night at work?” She asked, a bit hesitantly. Immediately, his smile dropped. A sigh left Adriel and he turned back to his tablet screen. The room he sat in held very little of anything personal. There were a few scattered pictures that he held on his person for the sake of his family, all that he had left of them, which wasn’t much. His two favorite pictures were of his great grandfather and of his mom. 

His bed was just a mattress on the ground, and he had some minor clothes spread out around the room. He wore loose pants and a t-shirt. He had maybe an hour before he had to get up and get ready for work. After coming home, he immediately passed out on his mattress. Though, his sleep was fitful and not entirely resting. Around one, he gave up and did some research.

“It was okay.” Adriel lied, searching through news articles on his tablet. He read more up on robots and tried to see if there was anything on Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. There were quite a few articles. Not all of them were happy. In fact, none of them were happy. The worst was when five children had been lured into the back of the restaurant and stuffed into suits. After that the place had been shut down. He couldn't find anything on the bite of '87. 

“Hey hun,” the male voice hardly surprised Adriel. One usually followed after the other. He heard a kiss and didn’t look up to know that someone probably kissed someone’s temple. Now, it might be a bit much that Adriel was _lived_ with his constant heart-ache. But, it wasn’t too odd at all. Because of the entire technology downfall, nine percent of the population was classified with an abundance of money—and “abundance” means a _lot_ , they held most of the nation’s money—thirty-six percent as middle class, and then the last bit was the rest of the nation, those under the poverty line. It wasn’t unusual for multiple families to live in a single home, which was why Adriel was where he was. He had to help pay rent, which was something he hasn’t been doing for the past couple weeks. His housemates might say it’s alright, but they were struggling. All of them. As the days passed, he could feel the tension build. They were hiding something, and it probably was their frustration because he couldn't find a job.

Which was why he needed the job. A hundred and twenty could set them up for half a year. He would just have to survive. “Adriel, you’re awake! What’s up?” His best friend's voice was bright and perky, and he had a bright smile on his face that Adriel once had depended on greatly. Both of their eyes on his was suffocating. It was as if they were rehearsing a script, waiting for the right time to divulge a plot twist in the play that was so obvious from the beginning. 

“I have to get ready,” Adriel stood, giving them a small smile. He couldn't remember what a genuine smile felt like. “Will you heat up some water for me so I can take a bath?”

“Sure thing, shorty,” his friend gave him a grin, stepping over to tousle Adriel’s hair. In Junior High, Adriel stayed short while he watched the boys, and even girls, around him grow. It wasn’t uncommon to get mistaken from a child from behind, but it irritated him nonetheless. His friend used to be the only one who could tease him, because he was the only one who would stand up for him and take the beatings, too. When Adriel's mother disappeared, his best friend's family took him in. Adriel spent most of his childhood life trying to make it up to them. His best friend got used to taking things from Adriel, because Adriel gave them up if he wanted them. It was the last thing that his friend took that made Adriel bitter, and she was standing right there.

With a playful frown, Adriel shooed them out of his room so he could clean up. A sigh left him and his eyes fell on the scattered pictures. His eyes fell on the old one of his great grandfather. Didn’t his mother tell him stories about him? What was his name? John? No… something with an M. Micheal? Mike. It was Mike.

He couldn't remember much, but he remembered his mother sitting down with him in her lap, pointing to the pictures and telling him stories about his family. A sigh left Adriel and he shook his head. It was time to get ready for work.

Little did his housemates know that when he went back to work, he would have better luck taking a long walk off a very short pier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so many ideas going through my head that I forget what I've written and what I haven't. Thank you so much for sticking through it! I promise it will get better as it goes on! This is my first fanfic, and I hope it's alright. If you have any suggestions or questions, please comment!


	2. Things That Move in the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adriel finds himself sitting in that dang chair for a second night. Despite all his wishes, things don't go smoothly and he finds himself fighting even more for his survival, and questioning his life choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, I got some good news and bad news. The bad news is that finals are coming up, so I'm not sure if I will have time to post much. The good news is that I already have everything written out so it's just a matter of me editing the chapters. 
> 
> Ugh, you have no idea how much I've come to love Adriel. My poor baby...

“Why am I doing this,” Adriel breathed, his palms already sweating when he sat down in the chair. He questioned his sanity as he pulled the screen in front of him. Flipping the feed to the stage, he checked on the animatronic characters. They were all in place. His earlier research also told him there were actually _four_  animatronic characters: Freddy Faz _bear_ , Bonnie the rabbit, Chica the duck-looking chicken (his original analysis of it was wrong), and Foxy a… well… fox—a pirate from the Pirate Cove. He switched the camera view to the Pirate Cove, a frown pulling down his lips.

For the sake of seeing a next sunrise, hoped that Foxy no longer walked the halls, out of commission. A phone jarred the silence and a yelp left Adriel. After a few rings, the phone guy’s voice cut into the silence. “Uhh, Hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats!”

“Thanks,” Adriel mumbled, rolling his eyes.

 The phone guy continued: “I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses. Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know...”

Adriel swallowed and switched his camera views, back to the main stage. Both Bonnie and Chica were already missing. “Fuuuuudge,” he whimpered, searching through the cameras till he found Chica in the kitchen and Bonnie in the main room.

“Uh... Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often. I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right?”

“Oh, really?” Maybe his sarcasm would get him killed. Not to mention he was also talking to himself.

A sigh left him, and he considered his own sanity, as the man continued, “I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views, and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors. So if-if you can’t find something, or someone, on your cameras, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react... Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that. Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon.”

That answered one question. “Frick!” Adriel slammed his foot down before switching to the Pirate Cove. Thank anyone that was listening that the animatronic character seemed to be restful for now. He searched through the cameras and found Chica down the hallway and Bonnie in the supplies closet.

His hands clenched tightly and he swallowed thickly. If they continued to be as they were the night before, then yes, he could do this. Easy. But if they continued to get livelier...

One thing that he noticed was that Chica usually only came down the east hall, and Bonnie down the west. Adriel suppressed a shiver, but couldn't suppress his thoughts: they were planning different ways to kill him, or they had done this many times before. The screen flickered black, old technology for you, then suddenly flickered back on. Bonnie still stood in the closet, but... “Where the freak is Chica?” Adriel shouted as he quickly searched through the cameras, panic building up in his chest. His eyes kept flickering over to the door, his chest constricting. One last switch of the camera and he came face-to-face to Chica, who was in the corner of the hallway, closest to him. “O-Oh, hi.” The whimper left Adriel's lips. A sigh filled him and he reached over, about to close the door when he heard a strange noise, the sound of mechanical feet hitting the floor. Immediately, he threw himself to the side and closed the door to his left.

Just then, something crashed into the door and started slamming what sounded like metallic fists into the metal. Adriel’s ears vibrated because of his own scream, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of yellow. In a moment, he had that door down, too. A choked breath left him and he slid off the chair, pulling on his hair.

 _I’m not a child… come on… breathe…_  His body rocked back and forth as the urge to panic and cry built in him. Slowly, he tried to push down the panic, thinking that it wasn't that bad. He was safe. As his panicked thoughts slid away, more sensible ones fell in place. Time on the ground was wasting power. With a thick swallow, he forced himself off the ground and found his joints almost trembling as much as his bones. “Nice to meet you too, Foxy," he muttered, sliding back down into his chair. As soon as he was secure in the chair, he checked the lights and saw nothing reflected in the mirrors. With a thick swallow, he shakily opened the doors and checked the screens.

The Pirate Cove’s curtain was closed, but he didn’t feel any doubt that the banging on the door was caused by that little fox. After a few seconds of switching camera feeds, he found both Bonnie and Chica in the eating area. Freddy, on the other hand, was looking directly at the camera. Adriel’s heart spun around in his chest as his eyes narrowed at the bear’s gaze and he frowned. “I won’t see you again. Not tonight.” The words coming out of his mouth sounded like a lie. They wove an intricate web around his lungs, and then squeezed tightly on the organs. 

His percent also said otherwise. It was already seventy-six percent, and it just turned one. A groan left Adriel. For the next few hours, he had few other close calls. Foxy seemed to admit defeat and stayed in his little cove. Chica tended to the bathroom most of the night, while Bonnie continued to discover every tiny detail in the hallway and the supplies closet.

Around four, Adriel had about thirty percent left. Under the fan’s breath, he wondered if it would help power conversation at all if he flipped it off. Fatigue numbed most of his attention; he flipped his camera view to the Pirate Cove, absentmindedly, and found the curtain was open.

With no sign of Foxy.

He heard something slamming down the hallway, but when he reached out to hit the button, it was too late. The fox’s metal face popped through the darkness of the hallway next to him. In the matter of a few seconds, the fox reached out for him, but Adriel had already thrown himself out of his chair and back towards the door to the right. His hand slipped as he fell back, reaching for a button, and the door slammed down.

Which locked him outside of the office.

The fox slammed his fists on the door. Through his panic, Adriel realized he had no idea where the little duck—er chicken—was. Unable to breathe, Adriel threw himself down the hallway and sprinted. He knew Chica spent most of her time in the bathroom, at least that night, so he had a high probability that she was still there. His lungs began to burn as he dashed into the main eating area, turning towards the kitchen. Freddy was going to see him. Freddy was going to-

As he crashed through the door, his body slammed into a counter, causing pain to explode in his midsection. His vision blurred and darkened slightly at the pain. Gasping, he pushed himself away from the counter and limped towards the bottom cupboards. Opening one up, he slid inside and held his legs, forcing any items inside to make space for him. It didn’t matter if his employer taunted him. He was quitting. A hundred and twenty bucks wasn’t worth his life. If he survived. Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the unidentifiable smells. His arms wrapped tighter around his legs and pulled them more securely against his chest. He attempted to quiet his breathing.

It took a couple minutes until he had everything in control. Silence and the rapid beating of his heart were the only things that accompanied him in the darkness of the cupboard. His thoughts began to activate with questions: Would the fox be gone? Should he chance it? How long would it be? Since he closed the east door, he would have to go all the way around the building to make it to the west, and at any of those points he had the potential to run into Freddy, Bonnie… and Foxy.

The door to the kitchen slowly creaked open and Adriel forgot how to breathe. After a few quiet moments of shuffling, he heard the sound of pots and pans being pushed and clanged around. His fingers dug through the thin fabric of his night guard outfit, and tears sprung in his eyes. He found himself praying to a god he didn’t believe in, wishing to not be found. Minutes achingly went by until finally the clanging came to a stop and the door creaked open and shut.

Adriel’s breath hitched and he felt tears bite into his eyes. A sob hit his chest, and he bit his wrist to stop his tears, hoping to distract himself. After a few moments, he felt himself calm down. It wasn’t safe sitting in the cupboard. After hesitating, he finally pushed the cupboard open and he slid out. On his hands and knees, he crawled towards the door. Now that he could actually pay attention to things, he noted that Chica hadn’t just been randomly banging around in the kitchen.

She had been sorting all the pots and pans, as if she couldn’t decide where they should be put. She didn’t do it too quietly, either. After being here so long, and not taken care of, he wondered if her joints rusted and caused her to make jerkier actions. A frown fell on his face. What use was it to humanize them? With a shaky breath, Adriel quietly pushed the kitchen door open and peered out. The door opened up to an almost empty party room. His eyes flickered up to Freddy, who was still on the stage. Why wouldn’t have he come down and get him, if he saw him? He saw Freddy’s gaze was pointed towards the camera.

Sweat dampened his palms. Quietly, he crawled across the floor, behind the tables, and inched toward the other hallway. His efforts felt too slow, and he kept twitching at every little noise. He was about to reach the hallway when he heard the guttural noise of a voice, “Freddy.”

A scream caught in his throat, luckily staying there, and he snapped his head to see Freddy on the stage looking at him. Adriel’s lips trembled as he watched the metallic bear. In silence, they stared at each other, tension rising in the air. “We weren’t expecting you again.” The voice felt as if it were grinding against metal gears, and Adriel felt it like sandpaper on his bones. “Why would you want to stay?”

Adriel didn’t answer, he sprung away from the room, speeding down the hallway. He might have heard something else, but no way in this century was he going to wait for anything.  As soon as he reached his office, he closed the door and flung himself down on the chair, pulling the screen in front of him. He had only twenty percent left, and it was only five. With a shaky sigh, he searched the camera screens and found both Bonnie and Chica in the party room, and the Pirate Cove curtain was closed.

Shakily, he reached over and opened the doors so he wouldn’t have to be stuck in the dark with Freddy again. Breathing heavily, he fell back into the system he had developed the previous night. Amazingly, this time he didn’t run out of power, and the animatronic characters didn’t bother him for the rest of the night. When six passed, he didn’t waste a second before flinging himself out of the building. As he shoved the door open, he gasped as he saw his manager leaning against a car.

In the light of the rising sun, his manager looked nearly golden. His blonde hair nearly seemed metallic, and his dark eyes seemed that much darker as they fell on Adriel’s small frame. A smirk twitched the employer’s lips that verged on sadistic. “Good morning. I’m glad to see you’re alive.”

“I quit.” Adriel stood straight, ignoring his manager's glossy hair; his brows came together in determination. “I quit. I would like my pay for two nights, please.” He held out his hand, swallowing thickly.

“Aww… did the animatronic characters scare you?” The manager’s brow twitched up, but all niceness about him fell away. He pulled himself from the car and walked over to Adriel, grabbing his tie and yanking him closer. A choked breath left Adriel and he tried to shove himself away from the man, but he was stronger.

It wasn’t as if Adriel was entirely weak. In fact, Adriel took pride in the fact that he attained some muscles and usually could hold himself again another. He blamed it on the fact that the employer towered over him and looked as if he had money to buy his own gym. “Look, Adriel,” the man spoke quietly and dangerously. “Remember that little contract you signed? Well, you also signed five nights here at Freddy’s. The contract says if you quit early, you’re wasting our time and owe us forty.”

Adriel’s mouth dried. Forty? That was more than a month’s of rent! “Y-You’re lying! I would never sign something like that! Let go of me!” He snarled and tried to rip himself away from the man. His strength felt equivalent to steel.

“You don’t believe me? Well, come on.” The man slid past him and pulled on Adriel’s tie, forcing him to follow. Fighting to make sure he didn’t choke, Adriel followed after the man until they reached the office. As soon as the hit the room, the manager let go of Adriel's tie and searched through the desk for something. After a few moments, the man took out a piece of paper and handed it to Adriel. “Right here.” He pointed out a line.

> _“By signing this form I understand that I consent myself to at least five nights, and if I quit earlier than that then I understand I have laid waste to company resources, and to make up to this loss, I will submit forty dollars.”_

“N-No, this is—I read through the entire thing! It didn’t have this-“ Adriel stuttered and he started rereading the form, but the man yanked it from his fingertips.

“It’s signed. So, I will gladly take that forty dollars,” the manager smiled kindly at Adriel, but again a flash of sadism crossed his gaze.

“I-I-I-“ Adriel snapped his jaw shut to stop his stuttering and he gave the man the meanest glare he could muster. Amusement only passed the man’s face and he gleefully waited for Adriel to admit that he couldn’t afford such a thing. Anger rose in Adriel, boiling his organs. “Well, I would hate to waste company resources,” Adriel spat.

“Ah, so you’ve decided to stay? I’ll go tell your friends. Now get home, it’s past your bedtime.” The man patted Adriel’s head.

Adriel never felt so angry in his life.

 

* * *

 

“Adriel, are you okay?” His voice was tentative, as if speaking to a bomb that was about to go off. Adriel looked over at his friend, his eyes narrowed in anger. He stood in front of the cracked mirror, a towel hugging his hips. “You seem…?”

“Angry?” Adriel offered, raising a brow, “Pissed? Completely-“

“Yeah,” he interrupted, wincing. “Who did it this time?”

“My _boss_ ,” Adriel seethed, shaking his head. “I can’t quit either.”

A sigh left his friend. “Look, Adriel, you can’t get mad every time someone calls you a kid, okay?”

Adriel felt his breath catch. He turned to look back at his friend, searching his features. He looked tired, and strained. Swallowing thickly, Adriel wondered when his friend had grown up before him. He couldn't get mad? The guy he knew... he wouldn't say that. No words came to mind that could fit a response, so instead Adriel turned back toward the mirror and dried his hair with an extra towel. Usually his friend always worked to bring Adriel into a better mood. He would joke with Adriel, telling him that whoever teased him was just jealous they couldn’t look as young as Adriel, or something… Behind him, he heard his friend shift in the uncomfortable silence. After a few moments, he said, “Adriel, you… you gotta let those things go. Okay? There are some things-“

“I get it,” Adriel interrupted, his voice quiet and subdued. “I’m going to change…”

Another sigh filled the heavy air and his friend met Adriel’s eyes in the mirror. “Look, I don’t mean it-“

“No, I get it.” Adriel turned sharply and twitched the corner of his lips, trying to pull on a smile.

His friend stepped closer and let out a shaky sigh. He reached out and pulled Adriel into a tight hug. “You’re like a brother to me…” Heavily laced in his tone was the mention of all the times Adriel had been there for him, but Adriel didn’t want to relive those moments. Those were times that he could smile genuinely, laugh freely, and cry fully to his friend. 

“How come this feels like a goodbye?” Adriel forced his voice to remain even.

A long pause filled the air, and Adriel closed his eyes. He already knew what was coming. Of course. The walking-on-eggshells atmosphere, their stares, all of it wasn't because he didn't have a job. He already knew what was going to come out of his friend's mouth. That didn’t mean he wanted to hear it. “She’s… pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adriel, nooo!!!
> 
> Dun dun dunnnnnnn. I have too much free time, I think.


	3. The Worth of Living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not done with all my finals, but I had time so I decided to procrastinate a little more!

Maybe this job was fate telling Adriel that it was time to submit his death. He had nothing to offer the world, and it seemed as if the world had nothing of worth to offer. After the shock of hearing the truth, Adriel didn’t say anything other than “okay.” He got dressed and left the house, walking around for a long time. Only when he was exhausted did he make his way back to the house and hit his mattress. As soon as he woke up, he dressed for work and left a good hour early, avoiding  _them._

Even if he took his time getting to pizzeria, he was still a good fifteen minutes early. Under the night sky, he sat with his bum on the cold concrete. Grass poked through the many cracks on the crumbling concrete, and vegetation grew on the side of the building. A sigh left Adriel as his eyes traced obvious signs of abandonment and then he held his head in his hands. Earlier, if he hadn't been so devastated, he would have screamed at them. Why would they so careless? As soon as this thought crossed his mind, another shot by, and shock slapped him hard across his cheek. _They weren’t careless._

In the world they lived in, having an unplanned child would be asking for financial ruin and certain death for the child, or themselves. They wouldn’t, _couldn't_ , be that dumb. So, the real question is how long have they been planning? Adriel didn’t need to get told that they would be moving. Without him. They probably have a place planned already—somewhere closer to a school, and a place that was friendlier. They might have already gotten a care package from the government. They wouldn't bring him because he would be a burden to carry along, an extra bedroom and an extra mouth to feed. 

The pain inside his chest caused thorns to puncture his lungs. Fighting the urge to just break down, he checked his watch for the time and then stood. His keys jingled in his hand as he unlocked the door, only to let out a small squeak of surprise when the door was already being pushed open. His manager's own shocked face came into view as the door pushed open all the way. Quickly, the shock dissipated.“Adriel,” he purred, pulling the smaller man inside. The manager's face seemed pulled tight. “There you are. I must go. I won’t be here after work, so lock up for me.” Was anxiety in his tone?

He slipped past Adriel and then left him in the darkened hallway. Confusion folded Adriel’s brow and he stepped into the office. Shaking off his thoughts, he let out a sigh and slid into the seat. Maybe the manager was anxious because the animatronics were walking around already. Maybe they would kill him faster. As Adriel set himself up, the familiar ringing of a message keyed the air. “Hello, hello? Hey you're doing great! Most people don’t last this long. I mean, you know, they usually move on to other things by now. I'm not implying that they died. Th-th-that’s not what I meant.”

Adriel’s brow twitched. The motivation to say something sarcastic had long left.

“Uh, anyway I better not take up too much of your time. Things start getting real tonight.”

“How were things not real _last_ night?” Adriel hissed through his teeth. His fingers curled in his hair and gripped the dark curls. “Or the _first?”_

“Uh... Hey, listen, I had an idea: if you happen to get caught and want to avoid getting stuffed into a Freddy suit, uhh, try playing dead! You know, go limp. Then there's a chance that, uh, maybe they’ll think that you're an empty costume instead. Then again if they think you're an empty costume, they might try to... stuff a metal skeleton into you. I wonder how that would work. Yeah, never mind, scratch that. It's best just not to get caught.”

Like the way horse feces falls to the ground, the reality of his situation plopped down on him. Adriel stared ahead of him and he pressed his lips tightly together. In the back of his mind, he imagined Chica holding onto him as Freddy stuffed the metal skeleton inside of him.

“Um... Ok, I'll leave you to it. See you on the flip side.”

“I _hate_ you,” Adriel growled through his teeth. Nonchalantly leaning to the side, he checked the light on his left. A choked yelp died in his throat. Bonnie stared at him with a tilted head. His lips moved numbly without him registering what he was saying, but he was sure it was something along the lines of “Oh, hey there Bonnie.” The door slammed down, and he quickly leaned to the other side, checking the light. Fear skittered over his bones.

The hallway proved to be empty. His breath heightened as he automatically fell into his usual routine of checking cameras and door lights. Bonnie left relatively quickly, and Chica didn’t get off the stage until around two thirty. Adriel checked the cameras with quick precision, switching around the rooms that he knew that Chica and Bonnie were in, sometimes checking Freddy and the Pirate Cove. In the midst of staring at the Pirate Cove's curtain, he heard metal creaking to the right of him and he quickly slammed the door down. The action was becoming reflex for him.

Shaking his head, Adriel let out a sigh and felt his throat close. “Why am I even _trying_?” His lips trembled as he flicked his camera to the supplies closet. Bonnie stood in there, staring at the door. A part of him wondered why they would keep going back and forth. They often backed off as soon as he had the door closed. If they were robots, why wouldn’t they just stay at the doors and wait for his power to drain? Then they could-

A surprised shout left Alaric when he saw Foxy’s face staring at him—in the camera. The machine had his head sticking out of the curtain. With his fingers trembling, Adriel forced himself to continue checking the cameras. He opened the door to the right of him again. When he switched the camera view back to the cove, Foxy still stood there.

Adriel blinked furiously. The extra water in his eyes was simply because he had been staring. They were _not_ tears from fright or desperation. Time crawled by slowly. The clock hit five without incident. Foxy stayed stationed at his curtain, his jaw hanging open like an excited child who wanted to go out and play.

Or kill.

The screen blurred slightly in front of him as a wave of fatigue hit him. A yawn parted his lips, and he strained to keep his eyes open as he switched through the cameras. Then a voice slid down the hallway. It sounded like laughter being grinded and slowed through the corks of machinery. Cold sweat gathered on his skin as he checked the main stage. Freddy was gone. Blind panic shot through Adriel. His throat began closing as his fingers clumsily searched through the rooms.

A flash of brown to his right, and Adriel’s hand shot over for the door, but it was too late. Adriel’s lips trembled and he felt a scream in his throat. His vision swirled as he shot out the left door, sprinting past the hallway. He didn’t see Bonnie, but he knew he was going to run into Foxy.

His lungs burned as raced past the Pirate Cove, the fox’s head turning as he ran past. The backstage. Probably nearly one of the most stupid places he could hide, and he criticized himself as he hit it. There were only animatronic heads, all of which made him want to hit the floor and start crying. Behind him, he heard a weird noise, as if metal slammed against metal.

 _Focus,_ he told himself. There had to be  _something._

Nothing. There wasn't anything. He was going to die.

Anger fired through him and he began throwing the heads off the shelves. His frustration grew as he choked out breaths. Running around the room, his foot caught on one of the thrown heads and he slammed back against the shelf, his hand slapping against another head to catch himself. The head teetered forward, but not off the shelf. It seemed to have a connection to the shelf. The room fell silent, with only his heavy breathing filling the air. Reaching up, Adriel pulled on the head more. The sound of gears turning and clicking prickled his ears.

His angry tirade had him in a corner in the room. Shakily, he stood in the darkness until he heard metallic footsteps approaching the door. He found himself backing up against the corner, away from the door. Suddenly, the room spun and knocked him off the floor. His body pitched forward and slammed into metal stairs, making him cry out in pain. The fall was short and he slammed into cold cement.

Gasped and pained breaths left Adriel. His teeth clenched against the pain. He didn’t dare to move until the thrumming pain dulled enough to something bearable. Slowly, Adriel sat up and glanced around. His eyes first traced up the short stairs to the entrance. Blue lights flickered on the wall. A hidden door. He triggered the entrance by pulling on the head, and as soon as the floorboards sensed his weight, it opened for him.

The air felt dusty, but not entirely moist. Swallowing thickly, Adriel slowly stood and surveyed the room. Low swinging lights flickered and didn’t light the room much. He mostly could see old machinery, and not much of anything else.

Despite it being so dark, Adriel sensed that it was a large room. His hand pressed against the cold wall. As he stepped forward, slightly limping. Adriel felt for switches, or anything of the like. His thumb hit a small plate that contained many buttons. He pressed the first.

A blue light filtered into the room, acting as a spot light. It took Adriel two seconds to realize that it shined on a dead body. The dead body belonged to a man, who was clad in absolutely nothing. He looked as if he were ready to step off the small pedestal, which he was placed on, any time, and that he only had his eyes closed for a moment.

Choked breaths left Adriel and he fell to the floor. He held his head and screamed through his teeth. With his eyes squeezed shut tightly, he felt his tears crawl down his cheeks. Over the noise of himself crying, he heard Freddy laughing once again. Except, the more he cried, the more it sounded like Freddy was crying along with him.

 

* * *

 

Tight lipped, Adriel stood at the doorway to his room. His arms crossed, causing his muscles to tighten slightly under his t-shirt. He watched with dead eyes as his friends moved their packed items down the hallway to the front door, and then out into the truck. He didn’t offer to help, and they didn’t ask.

The pending mother didn’t even look up at Adriel, her guilt written clearly on her shoulders as she daintily carried a box of clothes down the hallway. They had very little. Most of what they were taking were things that they didn’t have to money to replace.

The only items they took from the kitchen were minor, leaving as much as they could for Adriel. Not that Adriel was staying. He had a few weeks to find somewhere else to sleep before he was evicted and the government took back the house.

Neither of them had come to see him after he came back from work, and that he was glad for. The animatronics were back at their stations by six, and when Adriel left the room, all the animatronic heads were back in place, which lead him to believe that one of the robots cleaned. Shakily, he left the room and stood in the main eating room, staring up at the animatronics for some time, tears still trickling from his eyes. Then he left.

When he came home, he went straight for a bath. The very thought of sleeping made him wince in dread, and instead, he sat in his room and stared at the pictures of his family. Now he was standing at the doorway, watching those that he trusted leave him behind.

Soon, they had everything packed up.

Quietly, Adriel moved towards the front door and watched his former best friend shift his feet and glance up at Adriel guiltily. “You… you can come visit.”

Maybe Adriel should give them a smile, as he did on their wedding day. That’s what they wanted to see. They wanted to be free of their guilt, so that they could continue on with their life and be blind to his troubles. “Travel costs.” Adriel croaked, and his mouth turned down on the corner at the sound of it. His throat ached from screaming earlier that day. Both of them winced.

Then she started to cry. “Adriel-“

He slammed the door. _No._  The last thing he wanted to see was them crying. Especially _her_. He had comforted them too many times when he should be the one crying, and it caused his throat to constrict with tight anger. His fists shook and he didn’t even make it to his mattress before his blind anger made him fall to the ground. Sobs shook his chest, but no tears accompanied them.

 _Good_ , Adriel thought, _they’re not worth crying over._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guys guess who I ship Adriel with? 
> 
> I'll try and find time tomorrow to add the next chapter~
> 
> I think this thing has two more chapters left.


	4. The Unsteady Stutter of a Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Procrastination is the key!

Call him crazy. That’s what he was calling himself, sitting on the edge of the party table and staring up at the animatronics on the stage. He was early for work again, and he found himself drifting to the animatronics. Frozen as they were, they looked almost… sad.

Past his initial fear of them, they seemed abandoned. Not the obvious signs of abandonment like the vegetation growing on the side of a building. More of abandonment like getting left behind. Maybe it was just his mood. His lips cracked apart, and his voice came out as if he hadn’t spoken in years, “Why do you want to kill me?” His eyes fell to the floor and a wry smile almost broke onto his lips but he lost the ability to smile. “I don’t even know why I’m fighting you anymore. Tonight is the fourth night. I’m not going to survive. I’ll either die by your hands, or die by starving on the streets. I wonder which will hurt less…” He whispered to himself.

His shoulders shook for a few moments with the pretense of tears before he forced them to stop. “I’m abandoned too…” He spoke quietly. “No one wants me, either.”

With his eyes flickering down to his wrist, he noted that it was time to go to his office. Slowly, he stood and walked away from the stage. With less vigor than ever, Adriel slid into the chair. After a few moments, the sound of a phone ringing fell against Adriel’s ears. He didn’t even so much as blink his eyes. The rings came to a stop, and the mysterious male’s voice filled the room. “Hello, hello? Hey! Hey, wow, day four. I knew you could do it. Uh, hey, listen, I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow.” Adriel stiffened when it sounded as if someone was banging against the door in the recording.

“It's-It's been a bad night here for me. Um, I-I'm kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you,” the phone guy cleared his throat, “uh, when I did.” In his chest, Adriel’s heart quickened its pace. The sound of banging continued in the background.

“Uh, hey, do me a favor. Maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits in the back room? I'm gonna to try to hold out until someone checks. Maybe it won’t be so bad. Uh, I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there.”

Adriel’s hand rested on the base of his throat and his lips parted slightly in shock.

“You know…” A weird sounding moan played in the background, one that Adriel had never heard before. “Oh, no-“

Freddy’s chime played, and then there were animatronic noises, until suddenly the phone call cut off. Adriel’s lips shook with different words trying to slip through them. His breath began to quiver along with his trembling fingers. 

The man—he _died?_  Swallowing thickly, Adriel sat up and pulled the screen in front of him. So far, only Bonnie moved off the stage. Fatigue began to trickle into his brain, from lack of sleep. When _was_ the last time he got a nice night of rest? Before he started this freaking job. He tried to shake it off and focus on the night before him. His hands kept shaking, and he kept forgetting to check the lights on either side of the doors. The call had reawakened his fear of the animatronics and the possibility of being stuffed into a suit. Even as he jerkily moved through the different camera feeds, neither Freddy nor Chica moved off the stage.

Foxy poked his head out of the curtain, and three times he tried to run down the hallway, but Adriel slammed the door down every time. The night seemed to pass relatively well, but it didn’t stop Adriel’s shaking. For all he knew, the animatronic characters were satisfied after stuffing the phone guy in a suit. 

The clock turned five. Adriel’s muscles were stiff from him being so tense. He had just closed the door after Foxy’s fourth attempt. His teeth clenched tightly as he tried to control his quaking breaths and not scream as metallic fists pounded against the door. He searched the cameras for Bonnie when he accidentally clicked the stage.

Disbelief shot through him. Both Freddy and Chica were gone. He instantly found Chica in the main eating room, but not Freddy. He didn’t hear anything in the kitchen, and saw nothing in the hallways. Shaking from head to toe, he reached over to close the door when he spotted him.

Freddy stood in the room.

In absolute terror, Adriel stared at Freddy.

His joints locked up as they stared down at each other. Tears sprouted from Adriel’s eyes, and he saw Freddy advance towards him.

A scream ripped free from his throat and he squeezed his eyes tightly, sobs racking his body. “N-No, please, _please_. I didn’t mean it, I don’t want to die. _I don’t want to die-_ ”

“Stop.”

Adriel opened his eyes to see Freddy sitting in front of him. His mouth flapped open, and then shut. He was afraid to say anything. Instead, he swallowed and stared. The teddy bear looked awkward sitting. It definitely was something that he wasn't used to doing.

“I… I am not going to… hurt you.”

Adriel blinked a few more moments, confusion filling his face. “Y-You—but you killed—you killed the guy! Th-the guy on the phone-“

“No.”

His mouth snapped shut and his fingers tightened on his dark blue shirt. His eyes flickered over to the door. How fast could he get it open? If he could throw something at the bear, he could open the door and run outside, if he didn't run into Bonnie. Even if the animatronics dared to follow him, other people would see them, and then the story would get out. The pizzeria and the manager would be condemned and investigated. Adriel would be free-

“Don’t.”

Adriel’s eyes flickered over to the bear again.

“ _Please._ ” The bear couldn’t show emotion, but Adriel could hear the desperation in Freddy’s voice. “I’m not going to hurt you… we need your help. _Please_. That’s what we’ve been… we’ve been trying to get help.”

“Th-then why-“ Adriel reached up and sniffled, wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes. “Why would Foxy act so aggressive? Why would you chase me? What happened to the phone guy?”

“That…” Freddy turned his head away from Adriel, looking at the closed door on the left. “That recording is old. It’s from the first time… we tried to get help… We didn’t do that to him… and Foxy… after he tried to help save him, he got hurt and… it messed up his wiring. He acts on impulse and gets… impatient. He... thinks.. like a... child. Bonnie… he has to keep-“

“Bonnie’s a guy?” Adriel, in his stupefied fear, couldn’t control his tongue, much less manage his thoughts.

“Yes, but—well. He has to keep Foxy in check… we tried to reach you, to talk… but you kept escaping.” Freddy turned his head back to Adriel. “I make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m _scared_ ,” Adriel’s brows pulled together and he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Maybe he finally kicked the bucket and this was all a death illusion. Or maybe he fell asleep and it's a messed up dream. Or maybe...

Freddy moved and got up. Adriel froze in fear. Had he said something wrong? Was-

The bear moved to open up the drawer of the desk in the room. After a few moments of shuffling, he produced a box and then slid it across the floor to Adriel. He settled back down and nodded for Adriel to open it. “You should open the door,” Freddy said quietly, “before you run out of… energy.”

Trembling, Adriel reached down and grabbed the box. With the box in his lap, he shakily opened the door. Swallowing thickly, he opened the box and checked inside. Confusion filled his eyes when he lifted what was inside—a gun. The gun looked more like a tranquilizer and had a slight bluish glow. Instead of having a needle, there was a bullet, which held a bluish, glowing liquid. “What…?”

“It’s to terminate a robot.”

Adriel’s eyes flickered up to Freddy. “So… you’re a robot? You… why did you give me this?”

“If you feel threatened, you can terminate me. The termination is… final. It deletes all of our data…” Freddy’s voice sounded almost sad.

“B-But there’s only one,” Adriel swallowed thickly.

“Yes.” Freddy glanced away again. “Use it wisely…”

Silence took over the room with only the sound of the fan whirring to accompany it. Adriel breathed in and then breathed out, setting the gun in his lap. “What… why do you need my help.”

Freddy turned his gaze back to Adriel. He would like to imagine that the bear was smiling in relief. “We’re trapped... Rusted. The… robot takeover is wrong. We don’t have much time, I can’t explain… but… with bad people, there are… bad robots. But not all are… bad. W-We hid… here… our jobs w-were to entertain k-kids. Ch-Chica made pizza… Foxy would pretend to be a pirate... Bonnie did...” The more Freddy talked, the more his voice strained and the harder it was to understand him. “F-For a wh-while, we hid… b-but we were found out. I-Instead of turning u-us in… th-they incapacitated u-us. They took o-our data cards… wh-which is like a brain for us, it holds u-us, and… they t-trapped us in these bodies. W-we need our bodies, a-and then w-we can escape…”

Adriel looked at Freddy in sorrow. “H-How am I supposed to help? I don’t know where they would keep your bodies—I don’t even know who _they_  is.”

“They are,” Freddy said quietly.

“What?” Adriel’s brow folded.

“Improper grammar—not the point. It’s… five fifty-two.” Freddy slowly moved to stand and glanced over at Adriel. “You can’t… tell the manager. D-Don’t tell anyone. P-Pretend… to be frightened… and t-that we didn’t talk.” He turned and walked out.

“F-Freddy-“ Adriel choked out, beginning to stand.

Freddy slowly turned, glancing back at him. “Yes… Adriel?”

“I-I’ll help. I’m going to help you, okay? I’ll save you.” Adriel clenched his fingers.

The animatronic’s head jerked into a nod. He seemed to pause, “W-We… we don’t usually p-play this game. B-But… w-we like you. You… you r-remind us of a child.”

With that, Freddy left Adriel conflicted and utterly confused in the office.

 

* * *

 

Sleep was no longer an option for Adriel. He tried, but every time he woke up in cold sweat. The worst part about today was the fact that no one else was there. His heart thrummed in his throat as he sat the only piece of furniture left in their living room: an old cushion that belonged to a couch, once. He hated being alone. His hands whipped across the screen of his tablet.

Every citizen, no matter their state of wealth, was given a tablet. It was almost equivalent to an ID, but that didn’t mean that the parents didn’t pay for it. Some of the wealthier citizens could continue to update their tablet, but not Adriel. He’s had the same one his entire life.

More deeply, Adriel dwelved into the war against the machines. It didn’t last long, only a month and a half, but even today they were still eradicating robots. There were forums were people discussed theories about the robot war. There were still robot enthusiasts. Most of their theories were about the government wanting to steal away the robot’s freedom.

A lot of people argued against this, and almost all of them kept referencing a video. Adriel pulled up the video, confusion filling his eyes as he saw a man standing at a podium. He was handsome, along with those who stood behind them. “We are,” the man said, his eyes narrowing as he stared down the people before him, “the better race. It is you that is inferior.”

Adriel pursed his lips and replayed the video, wondering why they would keep referencing this video, and then he realized: the man was an Android.

Swallowing thickly, Adriel searched up Androids. Pictures, articles, and videos flooded his screen. He brought up one of the earlier advertisements for the Androids. The camera circled around a woman who wore nothing, with the logos covering up private areas. “Androids!” the advertisement said, “They look human! Act human!”

The first thought that came to mind was sexbots, but the advertisements said otherwise. The robots were said to be great help around children, the work place, and so on.

Adriel searched through more pictures, trying to learn more. The Androids were the ones who apparently started the war, but not all of them were in on it. In fact, only a small percentage of them. There were videos of Androids fighting other Androids, most protecting people.

An article popped up, and it said, “Big Scare!” It was a recent video. A robot had been hiding in a morgue, hiding among the very dead. The mortician looked excited about this discovery in a picture, and he was quoted, “The fellow looked dead! Shut down like that, I didn’t even know until I cut him open!” 


	5. Time to Finally End the Game

Excitement thrummed in Adriel, and for the first time in five days, he was excited to go to work. He found them. How could he be so stupid? The answer was right under his nose—right under _their_  noses. He saved them. Though, as he walked toward the pizzeria, his thoughts made him slow down a bit. What if they were trapped for a reason? He eagerly agreed to Freddy’s words because he was frightened out of his mind. The recording, where the phone guy died, had Freddy’s jingle on it, along with the other moans and groans of the other animatronics. Freddy could be tricking him so that they could escape and kill others.

If they were bad, why would Freddy give him a gun that had the ability to kill them? Adriel pressed his hand to the gun that he stored in the big pocket of his jacket. He would allow only one animatronic down the room with him, and if the animatronic turned on him, he would shoot it.

Along with the research he did, he also searched up the one-shot-kill-a-robot gun. It had been made long before Androids, and it only became more effective as years passed. The model that Freddy gave to him was the most recent. The blue glow came from the bullet was nanobots. The small things had no capacity to attain the SOUL virus; they only had one purpose: attack the robot’s data and destroy it. As soon as the data card is destroyed, the nanobots lose energy and die.

With his keys jingling in his hand, Adriel walked up to the door of the pizzeria. _The last day,_ he thought cheerfully. It didn’t matter if he didn’t know what to do tomorrow, or the next. He had a purpose now, and that was to save robots. A wry smile twitched lightly on his lips. Never before would he had ever thought _that._

A hand grabbed his shoulder just as he opened the door and his smile dropped instantly. His head snapped up to look up at who touched him. His manager wore a veiled expression and said, “You’re here early.”

Adriel felt panic fill his throat but didn’t allow it to reach his face. Giving a look of irritation, Adriel rolled his eyes. “Today is my last day, and then I’m out of here. I’ve been coming here early because… I live alone now and I don’t like it.”

“Hmm…” The manager’s brows came together. “Today _is_  your last day.” He motioned for Adriel to step into the building. Shaking his head, Adriel stepped into the building and walked down the hallway, towards the office. “Your heart is racing, Adriel. Are you afraid of me?”

Blinking, Adriel pressed his lips tightly together. Why was the manager here? Why did he follow him in? “I guess I’m conditioned to be afraid of this place.” When he hit the small office, he moved to slide back into the chair, glancing up at his manager as he walked in.

His manager smirked as he stood in front of Adriel, his arms crossed. He leaned back against the desk and watched Adriel for a few moments. “About ten minutes before your shift.”

“Yes,” Ariel let out a sigh, glancing down at his hands. “And then it will be over. How soon do I get paid?”

“I’ll give you the pay card after your shift,” the manager perked a brow. “Quitting, so soon?”

“Yes,” Adriel swallowed thickly. “I can’t wait to get away from these killer things." Trying not to seem pushy, Adriel added, "You should leave before they start walking around.”

Leaning forward, the manager slowly shook his head. “I have a better idea. Let’s talk." Adriel parted his lips to protest, but the manager talked over him. "Do you want to know something funny? Freddy and I have this little game. I hire people to watch them. These people are required to stay for five days, but most don’t last that long.” His mouth twitched sadistically. “See, they have five days for Freddy to plead his case to them, but then if I catch Freddy making any friends, I get to kill them.”

Adriel gave the manager a look of confusion, “What are you talking about?” He felt his heart beat stutter in his chest.

“I think it’s a fun game.” The manager gave a twisted grin. “You see, I noticed someone found our secret room-“

Everything clicked together. “They.” Who else would “they” be, other than the manager and owner of the pizzeria?

Blind terror took over Adriel and he shot out of the room, panic freezing his lungs. He dashed towards the door that would get him out of the building, but a hand wrapped around his wrist and yanked him back hard enough to nearly tear his arm out of the socket. With a cry, Adriel fell back against the manager and his eyes widened with fear. “No! No!” He screamed, trying to struggle out of the manager’s hold. The manager’s hold tightened around Adriel and he dragged him down the hallway. Adriel tried to kick and bite the manager, but the man didn’t even wince.

The manager dragged him into the party room, over to the stage. Screams filled Adriel as he tried to break the man’s tight hold on him. Forcefully, the manager made Adriel kneel on the ground, causing Adriel’s knee to painfully smash against the hard floor. Tears began to slide from Adriel’s face as he gasped.

The man’s hand held Adriel’s hair tightly, painfully yanking his head back. “See your friend?” The manager’s voice curled in sadism. “Say goodbye… Freddy, you were so close this time. I could have predicted as much. You always favor the more frightened, childish ones…” Leaning down, the man whispered in Adriel’s ear. “Say goodbye.”

“N-No,” Adriel clenched his teeth tightly, a sob shaking his chest.

“Say _goodbye!”_ The man yelled, lifting Adriel by his hair.

A pained gasp left Adriel and he let out a screech. The manager let go and allowed him to sag down on the floor. Sobs wracked his body. “Please… please…” Adriel croaked. “Please-“

“I said say goodbye. You pitiful _thing_ ,” the manager snarled and snapped his hand down, grabbing Adriel’s collar. He forcefully dragged Adriel towards the backstage room, ignoring Adriel’s screams of terror.

That’s where he found himself, with screams of agony surrounding him and hugging his ears. His blood began to pool at his feet and he slipped, unable to hold himself against his attacker anymore. His bones began to crack under the pressure. The pain made his brain hazy and disordered. Was this what death was like?

So close. He had been so close. If he had been given more time, or if he hadn’t gone early, or…

He shuttered a weak breath, his strength all but gone. After all this time he didn't amount to anything. No one would know he was gone. No one would care. This was the end. He was dying…

 

* * *

 

Minutes went by painfully slow, with Freddy and all the others frozen on the stage. It started, his crying. His disgruntled voice made it sound more like laughter, but it was all he could do to show the pain and sorrow that filled his chest. Adriel's screams of agony  _hurt._ It hurt more than the others, probably because each person that died added another failure. It was a sick loop. Every time there was a small shine of hope, it was ripped out of their reach.

The clock hit six. 

All at once, all the animatronics stepped off the stage. They all rushed towards the room.  _This is the last time,_ Freddy thought.

The animatronic stepped into the room in a rush. He didn't waste a moment and ignored all the blood as he stepped over to the murderous scene, grabbing the manager’s head and yanking him back with a force that would have broken a normal human in half. The Android fell back and Adriel fell to the floor like a sack of drowned kittens. “You don’t want to do this, Freddy,” the manager twisted and slammed his hand into Freddy’s metallic stomach. Freddy stumbled back, his metal and gears crying in protest. Bonnie caught him before he fell to the ground. “You’ll end up like Foxy.” The Android smirked up at Freddy, his eyes lighting up with sadism.

Freddy felt a wave of sorrow, as he always did when he looked at the Android. At one time, they all had been one, working together to hide. Something cracked in the manager one day. It had been when they were watching the news, watching as Androids gave their lives for humans only to be hunted down and killed.

“Fred,” Freddy’s voice strained. “Stop. They’re… using you…”

“I have no doubt that they are,” Fred smirked at them. “And I don’t mind that they are. I'm using them, too."

Freddy shook his head back and forth. Fred and Freddy shared the same name because they had been the same model type. Fred, though, was always golden. He used to wear a golden bear suit for the kids. “No more,” Freddy begged.

Laughter left Fred and his lips curled. “You’re rusted and out of date. You’ll end up being terminated. It’s too late, Freddy. Since you can’t read his vitals, I’ll enlighten you. He’s dead.” Pain filled Freddy’s core and he threw himself towards the Android. The clash caused Freddy’s old metal to bend. He ignored the obvious: Fred was stronger than him. Anger swallowed up logic. His already grainy visual feed couldn't keep up with the Android's fast movements. He heard Bonnie shifting behind him, ready to join in. 

The bunny animatronic couldn't lose another of his friends.

Fred’s fist raised, ready to smash down on Freddy’s head.

Then Fred’s head jerked back, his eyes wide with shock. He puffed out a few breaths. The light in his eyes faded and dark blue liquid dribbled from his mouth. Freddy let go and stumbled back. Fred’s knees hit the ground in a loud thump, and then his body teetered to the side, meeting with the ground. Freddy took a few moments to process the information, shock sparking his system. He then jerked his head up to spot Adriel, propped up with the gun in his hands.

The gun slipped and Adriel fell to the ground. “Y-Your… your bodies… th-they’re in…” He shakily lifted his hand to point to the corner of the room. “Pull… pull the head…”

Freddy didn’t need to read vitals to see that the boy was near his end. Pain was clearly written across the boy’s mangled face. Mixed emotions flashed so brightly in him he couldn’t identify a single one. “Our hands… they’re too unstable to switch the data cards…” Freddy replied sorrowfully.

Adriel’s eyes closed from fatigue, and then he nodded slowly. He tried to lift himself up, but slipped in his own blood, falling to the ground. Freddy moved as fast as his old body would allow him. He walked over to Adriel and lifted the boy in his arms. Oh, if only he could actually _feel_  him… maybe…

Shaking his thoughts, Freddy moved over to the corner and pulled a head. The ground moved around them, forcing Freddy to stand still. The corner of the room had acted like a revolving door, opening up to a darkened room. He stepped down the stairs, as carefully as he could. The darkness worked against his grainy vision. To make his eyes light up, he played his jingle. He spotted the light panel and pressed all the buttons, causing the entire room to light up.

There. There he was. Relief filled Freddy to the core and he stepped over to his body, the one closest to the stairs. He stood at the podium and looked down at Adriel, suddenly afraid that the movement caused the boy to die. “Adriel?”

He startled awake and looked up at the body. Fear crossed his gaze for a moment, and then pain. “O-Oh.. s-so this guy is you…?” Adriel smiled a bit. “I thought… you were dead…”

“Adriel…” Freddy glanced behind him to see Bonnie heading down the stairs. Good. Chica’s movements were too sparatic for this. “Adriel, Bonnie is going to remove my costume head. My data chip is located on the left side of my head. You will need to reach up and put the chip in… Adriel?”

“Mm, I’m… I’m here,” Adriel whispered. “I’m not letting go yet…”

Behind him, Bonnie stepped forward and silently pulled off Freddy’s head. Adriel looked up at Freddy in fear for a few moments. Shakily, Adriel reached up. “G-Goodbye…” Adriel whispered. Just as he did, Freddy shut down his systems.

 

* * *

 

The first thing he felt was the temperature—cold. His lips parted, and he breathed in to fill his synthetic lungs. His eyes opened to see the clearest and most crisp visual than he has in years. He could _feel_  again. Adriel had did it! He was in his-

His eyes dropped to Adriel, limp in the body he had been stuck in for years. Tears pricked the corners of Freddy’s eyes as Adriel's vitals began to show in his field of vision.

“Freddy...” Bonnie’s voice sounded more like a guttural moan. “He…”

_He’s gone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm totally kidding this isn't the end.


	6. Possibly the Impossible

At first, his vision was blurry. His throat ached, along with the rest of his body. “Are you awake?” The voice was bright and perky, that of a female. With a groan, Adriel turned his head and spotted a woman. A hospital? The nurse gave him a bright smile, “Good morning, sleepy head.” She walked over to him and flashed a light in his eyes before gently pulling away. “That was a close one. We have the top stuff, so you’re all healed up. Be careful, though. Your bones and skin are still tender.”

Adriel cracked his lips apart. His voice crackled and his brows fell together. “H…How long…?”

Sympathy pulled the nurse’s brows together. “Six days… it was a surprise you survived at all.”

Shock jarred through Adriel. “I-I… I don’t have any money. I can’t… I can’t pay a bill like that, n-not when you used the top stuff…” Panic filled him and his brows fell together. “I-I…”

“Pay?” The nurse looked confused and then she let out a laugh. “Why would you pay us? You helped us!”

Adriel realized his hand was clenched around another. He pushed himself to sit halfway up and he turned his head to meet warm brown eyes. Confusion pulled his brows together, and he looked around the room. It wasn’t a hospital room. A male with purple hair sat in a chair with a small smile. A seat away from him was another male with red hair and a frown on his face.

Four…

“Oh-“ Adriel jerked his head back up to the woman. “Chica?”

She dipped her head and laughed, “Yes!”

His body was pulled by the hand that held him, and he found himself being wrapped in Freddy’s arms. At least he was dressed now. “Adriel… I… we were so worried… thank you. Thank you so much…” Freddy’s eyes glossed over with tears. He reached up, holding Adriel’s head to his chest, and then he pressed his lips to Adriel’s nose.

He felt so… _human._

“H-Hey-“ Adriel stuttered as more tears ran down Freddy’s cheeks. “Freddy-“ He struggled against the Android’s hold and frowned, only to feel his skin pull against the moment. “Wait, I’m confused… how? I died-“

“I didn’t know he was an _i_ _diot_ ,” the Android with red hair growled, his voice holding an accent that mocked that of a pirate.

“Foxy,” the purple-haired Android spoke with soft voice that hardened slightly in warning. “May I remind you of _your_ reaction when we put you back in your body?”

A blush dusted Foxy’s cheeks and he rolled his eyes. “Took you long enough to finally do it.”

“Cool it, you two,” Freddy said quietly, reaching up to wipe away his tears. “Adriel, you managed to switch my card. Do you remember that much?”

“Yes…” Adriel said carefully, but he was distracted by Foxy giving Bonnie rude gestures while the purple-haired Android quietly argued with him.

“Well, I was then able to help Bonnie and Chica, too. We couldn’t read your heart beat because it was so low…” Freddy said gently, but he too was frowning as Foxy and Bonnie’s argument became a bit physical—mostly the two slapping each other’s hands away. Chica bounced over and plopped into Foxy’s lap, making both of two males stop.

“Not in front of Addy!” Chica tried to whisper, but it might as well have been spoken normally. Her whisper was nearly louder than her normal tone.

“My apologies,” Bonnie looked over at Adriel, looking sincerely apologetic.

Foxy, on the other hand, frowned deeply and angrily. The three of them looked at Adriel expectantly.

“O-Oh, it’s no problem,” Adriel stuttered, feeling his face heat up. His brows came together for a moment, testing the tightness of his skin. Reaching up, he lightly traced his fingers over his skin, feeling the scars of the attack. His eyes flickered back over to Freddy’s warm brown eyes.

“The three of us managed to save you. We’re at a safe house right now…” Freddy’s hand reached up and cupped over Adriel’s. “You’re alive…” The thankfulness in his tone was almost painful. Adriel felt his own eyes begin to water. “By bolts, I’m so glad you’re alive…” He held Adriel more tightly against him, making Adriel squirm again.

“H-Hey! Okay, I get it, happiness-“ He began, feeling flustered, but then he felt more bodies crowd around him. Chica had a hold of his head, while Bonnie held his free hand against his chest. Even Foxy stood at the foot of the bed, looking at Adriel with a sort of angry shyness. The relief on all their faces made Adriel stop squirming. A sigh left him and he dipped his head in order to hide the small smile on his own lips.

“Thank you,” Bonnie said quietly, “for holding on, Adriel…”

“Yeah,” Foxy murmured, glancing away. “What Bunny said.”

Small sniffles came from Chica and she whimpered out a “mmhmm” and soon was wetting Adriel’s hair with her artificial tears. One of Adriel’s own tears slipped down his cheek and he nodded dumbly, trying to hide his face from view as a surge of relief finally pushed through the ache of his bones. Alive. He was alive for the emotional faces around them, and for the first time in a while, he felt downright gleeful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end!! I'm a sucker for a happy ending... 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading through my fan fic! I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> I've fallen in love with these guys so I'll most likely continue their little story, but it will probably just be a series of drabbles that aren't entirely chronological.


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